Philippines gov't, MILF peace talks to restart in KL

By Roy Ramos and Hader Glang

ZAMBOANGA CITY, the Philippines

Peace talks between the Philippines' one-time largest Muslim rebel group and the government are back on, with a new round set for the Malaysian capital within the next two weeks.

On Tuesday, Jesus Dureza told GMA News that President Rodrigo Duterte had spoken with him Monday on renewing negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The talks were shelved -- along with a law that would have sealed a 2014 agreement between the government and the MILF and given autonomy to the Muslim south -- for election campaigning in February of this year.

"He [Duterte] has already directed our government panel, my office, to already go to Kuala Lumpur within the next two weeks so we can re-launch again already the peace engagement with the MILF and the Bangsamoro," he said.

"We're preparing already for that particular trip. We still have to make a lot of preparations along that line,” he added, stressing the government’s commitment to several peace initiatives, including that with the country’s communist insurgency.

During his inaugural State of the Nation address last week, Duterte urged Congress to pass the autonomy law, outlining the centuries-long injustice suffered by the Muslim community.

He reiterated his call to give the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) a chance.

Duterte -- the country’s first leader from southern Mindanao island -- has vowed to push for the passage of the BBL, with the exception of certain provisions he deems unconstitutional.

On Monday, he revealed plans to spend 10 days in Mindanao to focus on building the framework for the Bangsamoro peace process.

"I have to fix the Mindanao issue. I'll see the framework, etc.,” he was quoted as saying by GMA.

He said he would also consult with Nur Misuari -- the fugitive founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Nur Misuari, from which the MILF broke away -- granting a safe conduct pass so he could emerge from hiding in the island province of Sulu.

Misuari is currently a fugitive, eluding charges filed against him and his men for a siege on the predominantly Christian city of Zamboanga in September 2013, in which around 300 people were killed and thousands of houses razed.

"When you talk to the rebel, you have to give them a safe conduct pass, or at least a sense of security to face you and talk to you about what's bugging the country," Duterte insisted.

Some MNLF factions have backed the MILF’s peace process with the government, however a faction under Misuari considers it a betrayal of a 1996 Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)-brokered agreement between the government and the MNLF.

Duterte’s State of the Nation address July 25 was welcomed by the MILF and the leader of the largest MNLF faction, with both fronts pledging to reciprocate the president’s commitment.